Two proposed bills in the US, said to be designed to curb piracy, resulted in a rare consensus across much of the web - with users and major companies voicing their criticism in a co-ordinated day of action.

February

Angered at a Facebook post by his daughter Hannah, Mr Jordan recorded himself as he took a pistol to his teen's recently repaired laptop. After putting several bullets through the machine, he returned to his seat to tell his daughter: "You can have a new laptop when you buy a new laptop."

Days after posting the video, Mr Jordan said he had offers to create a TV show, and had been visited by local police, who apparently gave him "kudos". It is not known if Hannah is still grounded.

March

Kony 2012 sought to put pressure on the US to arrest Joseph Kony

Few videos over the past year were as powerful - or had such an immediate impact - as Kony 2012.

Created by filmmakers Invisible Children, it told the story of Joseph Kony, a Ugandan war criminal and fugitive.

With the backing of several high profile celebrities, the video wanted to put pressure on the US government to step up efforts to arrest Kony by the end of 2012.

April

When Zeddie Little was accidentally snapped while completing the 2012 Cooper River Bridge Run, he couldn't possibly have known the impact it would have on his life.

Billed as "Ridiculously photogenic guy" on social news site Reddit, the handsome 25-year-old rocketed to fame. Appearing on US television show Good Morning America, Mr Little said: "I really don't know, but I kinda feel honoured to be part of a joke that's in good spirit because sometimes the internet can be a little vicious or jokes can get bent the wrong way."

Meanwhile, at Queens Market in East London, Muhammad Shahid Nazir was busy doing what he did best: attracting customers to his fish stall by singing his catchy tune One Pound Fish.

Captured by YouTube user Colin Miller, Mr Nazir's refrain of "Come on ladies, come on ladies, one pound fi-i-i-ish!" has gone global. Released as a single, the song reached number 29 in the UK chart.

However, after his visa expired, Mr Nazir was deported back to Pakistan - where he received a hero's welcome when hundreds of fans greeted him at Lahore airport.

May

Martha Payne visited Malawi to see the kitchen donations to her site helped build

On 8 May, 9-year-old Martha Payne posted a picture of her lunch. An unremarkable event, by the internet's standards, but soon Martha's blog posts showing pictures - along with her critiques of her school's food - were attracting a massive audience.

She now uses her internet fame to raise money for good causes, carrying out video challenges in return for charity donations.

July

No wrap-up of 2012 viral hits could be complete without a mention of Gangnam Style. The K-Pop smash became the first to surpass one billion views on YouTube, as well as reaching number one in music charts all over the world.

After going viral in July, Gangnam Style broke records with ease. Artist Psy toured the world with the song - and even appeared at the prestigious Oxford Union.

In a speech, he said: "My goal in this music video was to look uncool until the end. I achieved it."

September

"The internet is made of cats," goes this quirky song, and with sites such as ICanHazCheezburger attracting millions of hits, it is hard to disagree.

The latest superstar cat, following in the paw steps of Maru, the surprised kitty and Simon's cat is this forlorn-looking feline, nicknamed - fittingly enough - Grumpy Cat. Images of Grumpy Cat first appeared on social news sites Reddit and they soon hit its front page.

Despite Tard's appearance she is not actually grumpy, claim her owners - she was just born looking like that.

October

The sky-diving stunt was streamed as it happened on YouTube

Daredevil sky-diver Felix Baumgartner was the talk of the web but not because a video captured him falling over or saying something foolish. Instead, it was Baumgartner's record-breaking sky dive from a capsule 39km (24 miles) above the Earth that provoked chatter.

During the stunt he reached a top speed of Mach 1.24 (834mph/ 1,342kph) and the feat scored a series of records including the first human to surpass the speed of sound unaided; the highest manned balloon flight and highest altitude jump.

November

The Maroney signature lip scrunch has proved a hit with more than just the web world

At the 2012 London Olympics, US gymnast McKayla Maroney won a silver medal for her performance in the vault. Good enough for most of us, but not quite enough for Ms Maroney. Perhaps because taking second place ended her domination of the event, pictures of her on the podium revealed how unimpressed she was with her performance.

It was a pose the web quickly got to work on and it bubbled under all year among meme-makers. It got a big boost when the US Olympics team visited Barack Obama in the White House during this month. In that meeting, Ms Maroney posed with Barack Obama, both sporting the disappointed pursed-lip look.

Also this month an act of kindness by New York patrolman Lawrence DePrimo became a hit. Rather than pass by a homeless man, Officer DePrimo talked to him, found out his shoe size and bought him a pair of boots to help keep out the intense cold.